I conjecture that it would have been a beautiful sunny morning this morning, gauging by the climate when we eventually rolled from bed at a bit later than 10:00AM after a delightful and much needed sleep in.

The Flinders Ranges Rise Up From Port Augusta.

Our itinerary called for a rest day in Port Augusta today, ostensibly planned as the last decent sized town before heading further into the outback. That was to give us the opportunity to stock up on supplies and as it has turned out, to make repairs. There was also the ‘Australia Arid Lands Botanic Garden’, which Bec is again eager to have stroll around.

Before I could take Bec down to the gardens, we had a bit of housekeeping to take care of, Bec eyeing off a load of laundry as I shot into town to reclaim the caravan wheel, hopefully resplendent in a brand spanking new boot.

The tyre was ready as promised, so it was straight back to the van for me then, where we chowed down on some roast chicken sandwiches for lunch. They were infinitely better than the diet of greasy fast food we have been subsisting on for the last few days worth of midday meals.

With the washing done, and strung out haphazardly throughout the van in the hope that it will dry before we depart in the morning, Bec dressed warmly for her long awaited excursion to the ‘Australia Arid Land Botanic Garden’. We’ve been before, so I wasn’t overly interested in partaking yet again, so I had promised that I would drop Bec off so that she could enjoy them at her leisure, without me dragging my feet along behind, moaning and groaning the entire time while wishing it was all over.

As Bec packed the few things that she needed into ‘The Beast’, I gave the dogs a chance of a wander about the caravan park, only to find as I hoisted Bethany into the back of ‘The Beast’, she had managed to stand in some sort of viscous, gelatinous resin, which at first scrutiny appeared to be some discarded bubblegum, but which turned out as best as we could decipher, to be a glutinous wad of tree sap matted with the utmost of stubbornness, in the hair of not one, but both of her front paws. It was another half an hour, a tub of hot soapy water and a soak in Eucalyptus oil before we had managed to dissolve the offending substance from within the folds of Bethanys front paw pads. Admittedly, I will be a happy camper if that turns out to be the worst of our calamities for the day. Finally, much to Becs chagrin, I was able to convey her to the gardens.

While she meandered about the gardens, I returned to the caravan park where I set about completing a few more much needed chores, such as acquainting the new tyre with the van and eradicating a hefty volume of sand from within the van. With the sandy ground upon which we are parked, it is an impossible feat to prevent the dogs, or ourselves for that matter, from dragging the delicate grains of silica in upon our feet each and every time we venture out.

It was a good few hours later that Bec called to say that she was ready to be collected. She excitedly told me when I got there, how she had taken the 2km walk around the gardens, although thinks she would have walked a good deal further than that, having taken a few wrong turns here and there. Sadly, it is the wrong time of year to view the range of flora that is on display here, with few if any flowers in bloom at the present time. The warmer months would be a much better proposition.

Bec At The Gardens.

Enjoying The View.

Flowers Be Gone.

The Famous Stuarts Desert Pea.

FLORA

FAUNA

Direct from the gardens, we drove back into town, to partake in a little last minute shopping, picking up a few odds and sods that we had realized over the last few days that we had forgotten to pack as well as beginning my collection of stubby holders for this trip. We were also able to collect our thankfully freshly laundered and decontaminated underlay from the dry cleaners before making haste for the van.

Once back at the van, we stripped the bed bare yet again, so as to once more don the thick underlay, as well as a newly purchased waterproof mattress protector. We have decided to take no more chances when leaving the dogs alone in the van.

Following a home, or should that read ‘caravan’, cooked dinner of the most magnificently generous proportions, we kicked back to relax in front of the television for just a tad of mind numbing diversion, whilst discussing what needed to be done in the morning before putting Port Augusta behind us as the journey sees us continue northward towards our next destination. Lolled almost to a slumber by the warmth spirited forth from the heater, which we had set to as close to ‘incinerate’ as possible in a mad, last ditch attempt to dry our still damp laundry, it was nearing midnight before we knew it. With an early start ahead of us tomorrow morning, I ditched any notion of completing and posting my blog for the day, deciding instead to put if off until I had the luxury of more time and a less lethargic frame of mind. And here I bet you were all sitting at home last night in front of your computers, tablets or phones thinking, “that’s it. Another catastrophe has struck and he’s given it up.” Well nothing could be further from the truth, because despite the few early set backs, we are settling nicely into the grove now, Alvin and Bethany included, and really are having a great time of it. Good tidings hardly seem to produce as mesmerizing a missive as the bad though.

Until next time, have fun, stay safe and don’t forget to write.